Nubie Questions about a Slowing Stihl.

[sritzau]

Lately, it seems my Stihl 026 is slowing down excessively when I am cutting hardwood with the entire 16" bar length. I have several reasons why i think this may be happening, but I was hoping you could tell me which is the most likely and which is just plain stupid. ( Feel free to laugh at my ignorance, but please don't point)

Here's my thoughts;

1. Air filter. I have cleaned the air filter as best I can, but it is about a year and a half old and has cut about 8 cords of wood.

2. Gas: I was getting to the end of my tank. While I try hard to mix evenly throughout the 2.5 gallon tank, I am sure that the mix changes as I use it. How does it typically separate, Oil-rich on the bottom?

3. Nose Sprocket. When I turn it by hand it doesn't feel as easy as it used to be. I must confess I do not not really know how to lube the tip of a Stihl bar so I never have.

Thanks, Steve

PS - I have a fixed high-speed jet carb. The chain is reasonably sharp based on the size of the chips I'm getting. I don't lean on the saw. I think I am getting enough oil based on the fact that for every tank of gas, I use about 2/3-3/4 of my oil reserve and I can spray oil if I rev the saw out of the cut. I don't think the muffler is blocked (the screen is not full of chips)

 

[user 2993]

Actually, the muffler IS blocked- it comes that way from the factory but that's probably not the main problem here.
I would really look at the chain- don't judge it's sharpness by the chips. Inspect all the cutters. If they are not all noticably sharp to the touch, sharpen the chain, even if it just takes a file stroke or two. If you have full chisel chain, ( square corners-not rounded ) as soon as those outer tips get a little blunt, it starts to lose effectiveness. Don't wait till the chain gets really dull to do this.
If in doubt, or not confident with your sharpening ability, put a new chain on, and see if you notice a difference. This will at least narrow down the possibilities.

Good luck,
George

 

[SilverBlue]

First look at the spark plug and regap or replace if needed. Do you tension your chain properly and are the bar rails in good shape? The nose sprocket should move freely by hand and the rim should also be in good shape.

I would remove the muffler and inspect the cylinder for any problems just as a precaution due to that dumb (_o_) fixed jet carb .

 

[Stumper]

If you are trying to mix your gas thoroughly you are almost undoubtably succeeding -don't fret over it. Screen blockage in the muffler doesn't come from chips. It is the result of carbon build up on the wire making the orifices smaller and smaller till many are closed entirely. Remove the screen and soak it/scrub it in solvent Greasing the bar nose is a hotly debated topic. The general rules are always grease(every day of use) or never grease. I'm in the never grease camp. The oil tends to wash the grease out anyway. If the saw is oiling well as you describe you have nothing to worry about as far as not greasing is concerned but the nose sprocket should turn freely. If it does not then you probably pinched the nose hard enough to deform it slightly. It may loosen back up but inspect the bar thoroughly-you may need a new one. As others have said-chip size doesn't always indicate optimum sharpness- double check that.

 

[sritzau]

More Nubie input

Thanks for the excellent info; it is great to get so much input and to get it so quickly. Here's a little more info and a few more questions.

On sharpening the chain; I sharpen the chain every 2 tanks with a couple-few strokes per cutter. It cuts better after I sharpen it then before, but I still think I kind of suck at sharpening and a new chain cuts better than my handiwork. Part of my inability to sharpen comes from my inability to gauge my own success - I kind of feel the tooth and see if it catches the flesh on my finger. I don't think this method works - I just don't have a good alternative and so I keep doing it. I am not shy about admiting that my chain sharpening is nothing to write home about, so I am also not shy about just putting a new chain on. I only go after the rakers back on the bench because I am a weekend warrior and don't generally cut more than 3-6 tanks or so. I don't think I'm doing anyone any favors filing the rakers either, as I tend to go lightly on them and I'm not very satisfied with my gauge. Any recommendations on how to judge how sharp the chain is?

On removing the muffler and taking a look; I have removed the muffler before to take a look at what everyone has been talking about REpening it up, but I decided that I didn't have the cojones to drill it out if that was going to void my warranty and I have been generally very satisifed with the way the saw runs. My question about looking at the cylinder (and you can laugh if you want to) is what am I looking for? Will I be able to tell? I am not a an idiot, but don't have much experience looking down the throats of small engines. (I guess in reality, with the muffler removed, you're looking up the other end... but I digress)

Regarding the state of the bar; It is the original bar and I will admit, it has had a couple of bad things happen to it. I have had a tree or two come back on it and I have had a "heavy leaner" split (barber chair?) and trap it. I even have a little lost paint/bluing on one edge from cutting a series of 28" red oak logs with my 16" bar after my chain had gotten a little "less-than-sharp" from roadside dirt in the butt end. Those "true confessions" aside - the bar looks to me to still be in good shape and the nose turns freely. I guess I have unwittingly fallen into the never grease camp. I flip the bar every time I go to the bench to clean the saw at the end of the day. How long does a bar typically last? Any way to gauge if it's shot? The "twirl-the-nose-sprocket-with-your-finger-test" may not be that accurate.

I will take the plug out and look at it as this is one of the things I am confident about doing. Thanks again for the input,

Steve

PS - Here's a little more data. This has always been true, but now it is more so. Just before I am out of gas, the saw starts screaming. It really cuts like a champ when it is screaming like that, but I don't let it go on for more than a few seconds (okay - maybe 10).

 

[Drew78]

I believe the saw "screams" near the end of the tank b/c its going lean. I have been told by others here that when you want to run the saw dry for storage, that as it goes lean, the rpm's will go up noticably by ear, just let it idle do not throttle it b/c the mixture has less oil in it, it casuses much heat and could do some damage to your engine if throttled up. Its a good idea to try to keep tabs on fuel level and keep it from running completly dry when in the middle of a job, unless of course you are using the draining method for storage.

As to the rest of the post, I want to begin trying my hand at sharpening my chains. At least just give them a "tickle" between sessions. What file set up are you using? Bench mounted or file and guide to touch the cutters up while its still on the bar?

Best of luck-
Drew

 

[Ryan Willock]

If your saw is a year or more old then you DON'T have a warrenty anymore!! Open that muffler up and gain 25-40% on your power!! Are you using green link safty chain?? If so try switching to full chisel chain (yellow link in Stihl's list). Buy a new air filter, I clean mine everyday when I get home with a high pressure air hose from my compressor, in the case of the 026 seperate the filter in half and blow it out from the inside to the outside on each half. Are you running PREMIUM grade gas? If not then you should!!

 

[tony marks]

1 is it slowing down in rpm .
or 2 is it slowing dn in cutting speed..
cutting,speed, slow dn ,can be,plugged or bad, oiler,wrong bar oil or chain problems,along with some of the other things mentioned...
rpm slow dn has already been covered..
jmo goodluck.

 

[sritzau]

Tony, it's the rpm that are slow - the saw "sounds" slow
Ryan, RE: opening up the muffler; what about the jet-issue? I am still a nubie in the saw biz and could be left running ugly without a screw to tweak.
Drew78 - taking saw sharpening advice from me is not wise. These other guys here know what they're talking about. As for what I do, I have a couple of styles of file guides, but I mostly use a flat-file holder that slides along the top of the cutter.

Steve

 

[Joey P]

You may just want to bring the saw to your dealer and get a good tune up done on it.

As far as what it wrong....could be the muffler screen is plugged, that would make the saw sound very quiet. The Fuel Filter could be getting dirty which will rob the saw from lower end power. IF you air filter is being cleaned that shouldn't be a problem unless it is dirty to the point of it not being able to be cleaned any more.

As far as mixture goes just use a high quality 50:1 fuel mix (I.E. Stihl, Husky oil) with 91 or higher octane gas. Everytime you go to fill your saw with fuel shake the can up and you'll get a nice even mix.

Hope this helps.

 

[geofore]

filters

You don't sound like you change the fuel filter often, rinse the fuel tank before you change the fuel filter. A tune up should do the rest if you cleaned the air filter.

 

[tony marks]

brian ,if ahab had had that ... hed been swimming ing whale blubber ,instead of in davey jones locker.

 

[Newfie]

"If your saw is a year or more old then you DON'T have a warrenty anymore!! "

He would if it was a Husky!

 

[Fish]

What is meant by the term "tune-up"?

Why would using 91 or higher octane possibly make any difference?

It sounds like the problem is bar/chain/sprocket related.

 

[stihltech]

warranty

As far as warranty goes, I have not been turned down after the period has expired IF I know it was a failure of the saw and not neglect. The Stihl guys at Northeast seem to listen pretty good.
Straight gas and running over the saw do not apply here. Had both this week and had both ask about warranty.

 

[Joey P]

^^ Yeah what he said.......the guys at northeast Stihl are alway more than willing to work with me on warranty stuff......if I find a problem that was obviously not the customers fault then I just make a phone call and 90% of the time it gets warranted.

I think you guys all might have a scewed view of Stihl and the company.....just because maybe you don't have the best dealer support.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

16" of buried 3/8 might be a lil'much for 026. Even .325 might drag a lil, if other things are less than optimal.

Like drive sprocket wear not transferring full power, bar that isn't straight/straight, built up steel rolled over to side of bar- till it builds up wider than cut of chain kerf- so hangs, depth guages not allowing enough bite/ or too much, lack of oil etc.

Any heat in nose?

i'm kinda careful with compressor aorund flocked filters, and only blow out, maybe angled across front on final pass lightly. All these things apply like a fresh fuel filter, plug etc. to just simply allowing the machine to werk as it was designed to.

If your feeling a lil adventurous, ya might pull the 4 T27 screws that hold the recoil on (don't let spring escape!), glance at string for wear. Maybe even glance at pawl, hairpin, pulley for breackage/wear. Main mission is to blow out venting, fan for cooling head, and head etc. to make last longer. i think it is all computer designed, and you should reset to peak efficiency, how the air is grabbed, swirled and blown over head (that doesn't have built up insulating layer of fibre matt). Allowing system to breathe and cool itself to maximum; while being easier to inspect. IMLHO.

i don't think to many parts to lose or anything there; but when i find i might get into trouble that way, i take pictures with digital camera during breakdown; and 'cheat' by looking at them if i have to later. That works on all kinds of stuff!

:alien:

 

[sritzau]

A lot of time has passed - I have been busy rebuilding my computer - but I did manage to look at some of the things you mentioned. Here's what I found;

1. The sprocket in the bar nose feels a little stiff (i.e. hard to turn).
2. The plug was sooty
3. The muffler was sooty
4. With the muffler off I was able to look into the cylinder. Everything there looked good. (at least good to me - clean and no scratches or marks).
5. I cracked open the air filter - I still can't tell if it's packed with dirt or not.
6. The muffler screen did not look plugged.

I am thinking that the bar/nose has trouble, that the engine is chugging to turn it and is running too slow. Does this seem reasonable? I am a geek, so I am thinking about replacing parts one by one so I can figure out exactly what it was.

Anyway - thanks for all the advice. Any additional input would be welcome.

Steve

 

[Orange Wedge]

Hi Steve,

If you are anywhere near Old Saybrook me or my brother would be happy to give you some assistance. Or, there is a fantastic Stihl dealer actually in Old Saybrook.

Good Luck

Jeff

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The tip should spin freely. I never had one that was hard to turn, I did have them get loose, if you grab just the little sprocket you could wiggle it around, that indicated it was shot.
When you say sooty, what color was it, dark black or more gray?